Part of Nature cartoon by Stuart McMillen - Recombinant Records

This cartoon is heavily influenced by the books Natural Capitalism - Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins (1999) and Mid-Course Correction - Ray Anderson (1998). It is also in the same vein as the flash animation "The Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard, which I watched when I was about 90% of the way through the drawing process. Back to post / website. View/add comments for this article.Part of Nature by Stuart McMillen. September 2009. We think it's fine to throw waste "away", but there is no such place on this planet.

Average Weather For Lexington, Kentucky, USAThe probability that precipitation will be observed at this location varies throughout the year. Precipitation is most likely around January 18, occurring in 60% of days. Precipitation is least likely around October 2, occurring in 35% of days. Probability of Precipitation at Some Point in the Day The fraction of days in which various types of precipitation are observed. If more than one type of precipitation is reported in a given day, the more severe precipitation is counted.Mamas, Don't Let the New Atheism Grow Up to Be the Same Old Shit in a Different PackageDamon Linker recently wrote a piece for The New Republic about what he calls "the new atheism" (as represented by Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, and Hitchens) and its potential to undermine the very principles (progressive liberalism and secular politics, particularly) it asserts to advocate. Now, there are problems with the article; it simplifies atheism so it can be neatly divided into two strands, and it ignores altogether that strident anti-religiosity is not unique to atheists. It also falls into the trap, right from the title ("Atheism's Wrong Turn"), that so many articles on religion have—treating atheists as a monolithic group.

Video Showing the Huge Gap Between Super Rich and Everyone Else Goes ViralFor much of the past decade, policymakers and analysts have decried America's incredibly low savings rate, noting that U.S. households save a fraction of the money of the rest of the world. Citing a myriad of causes -- from cheap credit to exploitative bank practices -- they've noted that the average family puts away less than 4 percent of its income. "Wealth Inequality in America," a six-minute video produced by a YouTube user named "Politizane," casts an interesting angle on the plummeting savings rate. Set to depressing piano music and packed with crystal-clear animations, it gives a powerful snapshot of the American economic landscape.

Why Nikola Tesla was the greatest geek who ever livedAdditional notes from the author: If you want to learn more about Tesla, I highly recommend reading Tesla: Man Out of Time Also, this Badass of the week by Ben Thompson is what originally inspired me to write a comic about Tesla. Ben's also got a book out which is packed full of awesome. There's an old movie from the 80s on Netflix Instant Queue right now about Tesla: The Secret of Nikola Tesla. It's corny and full of bad acting, but it paints a fairly accurate depiction of his life. The drunk history of Tesla is quite awesome, too. History.com has a great article about Edison and how his douchebaggery had a chokehold on American cinema.

Can happiness be a good business strategy?How happy are you at work? Maybe you're reading this at work right now? Which could indicate that you work in a friendly workplace culture where you're empowered to do as you see fit and read whatever you want online.A Man Replaces His Lawn With a Giant Vegetable Garden and No RegretsDuring the summer, nothing is better than the smell of freshly cut grass. That is, unless, you have a giant vegetable garden growing in the place of your lawn. Instead of turf, this awesome homeowner, user locolukas on Reddit, opted for tomatoes. The results are absolutely epic.

Republicans Want To Slash Government Spending, Can’t Name Anything To Cut (VIDEOThe March 22, 2013 Real Time with Bill Maher made a powerful point: self-identified Republicans, including those who call themselves Tea Party, are IMPERATIVELY certain that the answer to America’s woes is to slash government spending. But when you ask them to name specific cuts, they pretty much come up with bupkus. This is what happens when people are insulated in the Fox echo chamber. They have had “must cut government spending” as a mantra, repeated hundreds of times a day, and they’ve bought in. But none of these people have any real idea about what to cut, other than “wasteful government spending”.

Non-toxic Home CareMake sure to keep all home-made formulas well-labeled, and out of the reach of children. All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep.Conscious Capitalism: Can Empathy Change The World?In the late 19th century, a concept called the Progressive Movement crept through the vineworks of American business thinking. While there were many aspects of Progressivism–including cleaning up local government, one of the more high-minded Progressive theories worked like this: A working factory would be drop-shipped onto an agrarian community and provide prosperity for a local populace surrounded by the natural wonders of clean air and water. This was a utopian ideal that contrasted with the smudgy skies and open sewage of the contemporary 1800s urbanscape.

10 Websites That Help You Recycle Or Reuse Old Stuff & Protect Our EnvironmentAnd the word is that although the web is contributing something to global warming, it’s also the loudest bugle playing in support of it. Even Greenpeace has a website after all. But this post is not about demerits of technology, but the meritorious ways it can be put to use for the environment.The Logic of Stupid Poor PeopleWe hates us some poor people. First, they insist on being poor when it is so easy to not be poor. They do things like buy expensive designer belts and $2500 luxury handbags. To be fair, this isn’t about Eroll Louis. His is a belief held by many people, including lots of black people, poor people, formerly poor people, etc. It is, I suspect, an honest expression of incredulity.

The Top 10 Plants for Removing Indoor ToxinsCommon indoor plants may provide a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside homes, indoor public spaces and office buildings. The indoor pollutants that affect health are formaldehyde, Volatile Organic Compounds (benzene and trichloroethylene or TCE), airborne biological pollutants, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, pesticides and disinfectants (phenols), and radon. These pollutants contribute to ‘sick building syndrome’, which causes symptoms ranging from allergies, headaches and fatigue through to nervous-system disorders, cancer and death. Through studies conducted by NASA, scientists have identified 50 houseplants that remove many of the pollutants and gases mentioned above.